Melissa C. Walker's Blog, page 52

Cover Stories: Invisible Girl by Mary Hanlon Stone

[image error] I got an early copy of Mary Hanlon Stone's Invisible Girl, and by the time the final copy was ready, the cover had completely changed! Intriguing. I had to ask Mary what she thought. First, something from the back cover of the book, which is beautifully written. Meet Stephanie, a girl from Boston who's abandoned by her mother and sent to live with a family in Beverly Hills:Everyone's been asking me questions about my life in Boston. I'm unaccustomed to this much attention, but I've already l...

Photo Friday: One More Time, For Spain!

This will be my last Spain Photo Friday--I promise. But I had to share a few more gallivanting pictures (who knows when I'll take a trip this grand again?!). Plus, Becky gave me her photos so I have more to foist upon you (isn't foist such a weird word)! Here goes (sorry if they're fuzzy--click for clear!).Dreaming at The Alhambra... [image error] and on the Balcony of Europe in Nerja: [image error] It was too cold for a Carolina girl to swim (boo!)... [image error] but not too cold for ice cream (yay!) [image error] There were camels in Morocco. I'm ...

Cover Stories: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Jeri Smith-Ready stopped by on her Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour to talk Covers. Her latest book, SHADE, is the first in a young adult urban fantasy series about a world of ghosts only the young can see. When Aura's boyfriend meets a most untimely end, she is forced to reconsider her relationship with the living and the dead.Ooh! Here's the deal with that dark and stormy cover:"I imagined your typical young adult urban fantasy cover for SHADE--girl's face, maybe half cut off. I've always lov...

Win-It Wednesday: The Daughters (signed!) by Joanna Philbin

First, the winner of last week's Something Like Fate contest is... Lasha! Send me your address, L. Last night I went to the launch party for The Daughters , the debut novel of Joanna Philbin (who looked totally pretty in pink). The book is about growing up in a celebrity family and the fabulous (and scary and heartbreaking and humiliating and insecure) moments that come with that. Joanna herself is Regis Philbin's daughter, so she knows of what she writes!The party was at the Rose Bar of the Gr...

Readergirlz May with Lisa Yee (+ Lovestruck Summer Sale!)

Come join the chatter on the readergirlz blog -- it'll be fun! [image error] Check out the Rgz interview with Lisa, book party ideas themed around her book Absolutely Maybe (remember the Cover Story?), and our Reach Out project idea -- as well as the awesome soundtrack Lisa has chosen for the book -- on readergirlz.com.Also, Lisa cracks me up. Take a peek:Question: Are any of you guys who read this blog in a book club? What are you reading right now? (And either way, join readergirlz so you can book-club-it...

Readergirlz May with Lisa Yee

Come join the chatter on the readergirlz blog -- it'll be fun! [image error] Check out the Rgz interview with Lisa, book party ideas themed around her book Absolutely Maybe (remember the Cover Story?), and our Reach Out project idea -- as well as the awesome soundtrack Lisa has chosen for the book -- on readergirlz.com.Also, Lisa cracks me up. Take a peek:Question: Are any of you guys who read this blog in a book club? What are you reading right now? (And either way, join readergirlz so you can book-club-it...

Cover Stories: It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

[image error] Jenny Han shared the Cover Story for The Summer I Turned Pretty last year, complete with inspiration board and amazing on-set back story. Now, she's here with tales of the sequel, It's Not Summer Without You , which just came out last week.Here's Jenny:"I actually didn't really have too many ideas or preconceptions for It's Not Summer Without You. Since it's the second in a series, I knew it had to be of the same mood/general look as the first--and I truly loved the first (below). My one thou...

Photo Friday: More Espana!

A few more shots from Spain this week, because--hello!--this was an epic trip that I planned forever and I have to share more.First, did I mention that my friend Becky and I found sea glass on the beach in Nerja, which reminded me of the cover of Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler? We did! It was awesome. [image error] [image error]We also sometimes acted very American. Here's Becky posing with our rented BMW and Dave when we went to see Clash of the Titans in Madrid (I love movies on vacation!).[image error] [image error]At the Alhambra in Gr...

Cover Stories: The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

[image error] Jessica Brody runs Free-Book Friday, of which I am (naturally) a fan! Her debut YA novel, The Karma Club , came out this week, and I invited her over for a little cover talk as a stop on her Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour.Here's Jessica:"When I first saw the cover: Oh my God, I fell in love with it...instantly! They actually showed me two different ones and my editor told me beforehand that this one was her favorite of the two and I couldn't have agreed more! I am pretty bad at envisioning cov...

Win-It Wednesday: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

The winner of last week's Gimme a Call contest is... Melissa of YA Book Shelf! Send me your address, M. Oh, and Random House is having a contest where you can win a phone and a call from author Sarah Mlynowski, so enter that here. [image error] This week's contest is the one I posted on Monday (the Cover Story for Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti). So head over to Monday's post and leave an honest comment about the cover--what you like or don't (seriously, it's good market research for everyone!), an...